Elemental Dance
by Obsidian Silence
Summary: They are elegance personified, dancers of the elements in a world divided... they twine together like wind and flame, water and earth. Can they survive this war or will they perish?
1. Chapter 1

Elemental Dance

Zuko glared at Zhao as a soldier threw a pile of crimson rags onto the ship. The rags moved, revealing a woman, slowly getting to her feet.

She straightened her spine and glared at Zhao, her exotic golden eyes defiantly brimming with anger. Windswept raven-black hair tumbled around her face to rest an inch or so below her elbow, when brushed, it would've hung straight, but she had been denied the privilege of grooming herself on the voyage. She was an aristocrat of the Royal Court, learned and beautiful. Her clothes had been ripped, but she wore them elegantly much to the chagrin of her captors. They had been made to shackle her because of her unwillingness to let them come close to her; many of them were now sporting burns.

"Get off my ship!" Zuko's tone made Zhao look at the young prince twice. His voice was quiet, a deep growl that was tense with carefully controlled rage and hatred. Zhao smirked.

"Lady Kurina is a gift from the Fire Lord unto you, Prince Zuko. She has disgraced herself. I hope you enjoy her." Saying so, Zhao swept Zuko a mocking bow and walked arrogantly up the ramp of his ship.

Zuko blanched. The only way a noblewoman could disgrace herself in the eyes of the court was to become a whore. His father had insulted him, not presented him with a gift. He turned cold, amber eyes on the girl. She looked about 17, a year younger than him.

"My disgrace was unwilling, Prince Zuko. The f-" She struggled with herself. She could not call an Admiral in the Fire Nation army a fool. "The man whom you just spoke with was the bearer of my disgrace."

Zuko blinked. All good and well, but only the Fire Lord could give such orders to a noblewoman. "My father sent you to Zhao?"

She nodded slightly in affirmation. "Your father discovered that I was teaching my maids to dance."

That didn't seem like a cause for disgrace. Then again, he had heard rumors of how his father had fallen in the times of the Avatar; how the Fire Lord no longer retained any of his former honor. The Royal Court had become a place of terror instead of the luxurious peace the nobles had grown up in. "What kind of dance?" the Prince asked, knowing his soldiers and his Uncle were looking on, watching him as he spoke with a noblewoman for the first time in four years. They were all having great fun at his expense.

She smiled slightly then, a bitterly sweet smile of triumphant sorrow. "The Elemental Dance."

He blinked again, shocked at her words. "You need an Air bender soul pair for that dance."

She cocked her head to the side, letting him see her confusion. "A few air-benders have been kept alive for the Fire Lord's amusement. Many know of this."

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. That was interesting information. "How? The Air Temples are empty."

"They don't have to be in the Air Temples to be alive or known of."

He nodded. True statement, that. "You may stay on the ship. Captain Emilio will show you to a room." He was going to have to mull over her. Her arrival had been a surprise and had managed to throw him off guard. "I have a question."

Her lips curved up slightly, as if she found humor in his words. Did she? "Ask away, my Prince."

Strange endearment. "Can you defend yourself?"

She still smiled, but her eyes lost some of their warmth. He could see that she had enough pride to be offended by his words. "Of course, I can. Why do you think Zhao hates me? Because I made it easy for him?"

He grinned. He couldn't help it. The image of Zhao being brow-beaten by a lady in chains was just too funny. He sobered up almost instantly though, having detected a note of heartbreak in her tone. The situation wasn't all that funny. Image was. Situation wasn't. Should he offer her tea?

Dear Agni, his uncle was rubbing off on him.

The Captain stepped up, sweeping her a bow. "If you'll come this way, Lady. I apologize if the accommodations are a bit sober."

She bowed to Zuko. "It's alright, Captain. I can expect nothing less. This is assumed to be a warship after all, is it not?"

He grinned. "Of course, Lady. Right this way."

Zuko watched her go. From the corner of his eye, he saw his soldiers doing the same. Ping elbowed Kunai, grinning after raising his face shield. Zuko smiled. He had no need to warn his men off; they wouldn't harm the girl unlike many of his father's commanders. His men had honor.

"You should've asked her for tea," his Uncle said.

Yup, his uncle was rubbing off on him. "I'll ask her later; once she has situated herself in her room."

"We should get her clothes the next time we stop," his Uncle commented. "I wonder what we have that she can wear. She is very petite." He glanced at his nephew out of the corner of his eye.

Zuko was staring at the point where the girl- Kurina, had disappeared. He had to mentally shake himself. Imagining what lay beneath those rags was not a good idea. Being a fire-bender meant lust came easily, but thankfully, a flame could be easily controlled if you had been properly taught. His uncle was his sensei. He knew how to control his flame. He just wasn't sure he wanted to.

"She can wear some of my old clothes until we dock to restock our supplies," he replied. He slid his gaze to the first mate of the crew, Hiro. "Put the men through their paces for three hours. We'll dock on that island and they can stretch their legs for a run."

"Yes, sir," Hiro said. He turned to the men and began giving orders, dispensing a few to steer the ship towards the small dot on the horizon.

"Ping!"

Ping bowed towards him. "Yes, sir?" he asked.

"Come with me, please," Zuko said. "I'll meet you in the Captain's Cabin, uncle. I'm going to get Lady Kurina's clothes."

As soon as Zuko was out of sight, a huge grin lit up on Iroh's face. Ghouls quaked and seraphim fled; both light and dark felt sorry for the Prince Zuko and his future bride.

"Look at them Aang!" Katara was watching the dancers in the village square avidly. "I wish I was that graceful."

"You are, Katara. You're a water-bender. Grace comes to you naturally." Sokka glanced at Aang out of the corner of his eye.

The air-bender had grown into a handsome young man; a young man that was currently staring at his little sister like he wanted to eat her alive.

"Aang?" Sokka growled. He didn't like anyone looking at his sister, no matter how close to the person he was. Besides, he knew that Katara didn't see Aang that way. He would always be like her brother.

"Yes, Sokka?" Aang looked at Sokka cheerfully.

"Let's go get some food. We'll leave Katara to ogle the weirdoes."

"Sokka!" Katara yelled.

The water-tribe warrior whirled around, his boomerang in his hand. Paranoia was the mother of survival. He slowly lowered his weapon, forgetting he had two short knives at his waist that would've done a lot more damage than his boomerang in close range combat.

Katara was moving through the dancers like a blue flame, her hips swaying with a natural grace as she laughed with the male that had grabbed her hand. She moved her hands in front of her, mimicking the dancer to her right. The flame-wielders smiled and picked up the pace, loosing interest in the other citizens they had enticed into joining them. Katara kept up until she spotted something that made her heart stop cold. She slid in between the warm bodies, calling two water whips to her and slipping into the brightly dressed crowd. Her brother and Aang followed her like shadows, their weapons at the ready.

Unbeknownst to her, the dancers had stopped when she left. The villagers watched in puzzlement as the dropped to the ground and wept.

One of them looked up and screamed wordlessly.

The crowd gasped.

His tears shone like stars in the black of the night sky. Yin and yang danced in the sparks of his amber eyes, his flame dimming until all that was left was an unbearable sorrow.

Zhao kicked the man on his side and peered into his eyes. His eyes widened at what he saw. "Search every house in the village. Bring me everyone," he ordered.


	2. Chapter 2

Elemental Dance- 2

Zuko stepped onto the sandy beach and gazed at the path leading into a young rainforest. Behind him, he heard Kurina come down the steel ramp. His men ran into the forest directly behind the Fire Nation Lady; many had already divested themselves of their shirts. With the intense training Zuko required of them they had become amongst the best fighters in the world.

"How lovely," she commented softly. Up close her amber eyes were paler than most, almost cream in color with sparks of gold shooting out from the irises.

Zuko glanced at her. "Would you mind if I went to train with my men?"

"Of course not. That is your right and privilege, Prince Zuko," she answered. "I'll be fine here with your Uncle."

He gave her a small bow. "Thank you, Kurina. We will return in a few hours time."

She bowed back in reply and waited until he had boarded the ship to change. To do so was respectful of those considered higher than oneself. She turned to General Iroh and smiled. "So, what shall we do?"

"Why don't you show me how to dance?"

She tilted her head to the side, puzzlement on her face. "Didn't you learn as a child, General Iroh?"

"Yes, however years in the Fire Nation Army can put one out of practice."

She gave a merry laugh as the image of Iroh practicing dance in the middle of the Fire Nation Army popped into her head.

"Something amusing?"

They both turned to Prince Zuko as he came down wearing black training pants and boots. He had left his shirt on the ship.

Kurina couldn't help but trail her eyes over his sculpted, toned chest. Dear Agni… She mentally shook herself and smiled at Prince Zuko.

"Lady Kurina is going to teach me how to dance," Iroh replied. He glanced from one to the other, noting the looks they had been giving each other- hot, steamy looks. He held back a gleeful laugh. This was going to be almost-too easy.

Zuko shook his head, nodded to Kurina respectfully and ran into the forest after wishing them goodbye.

"Now… shall we get started, General Iroh? We'll practice 'Illumination' first, a dance I'm sure that you remember from your days in the Court." She began with her hands placed in front of her, gazing at the sand beside her bent feet. Her hair swung in front of her face like a sleek curtain of ebony silk to create the image of hiding oneself from the light. She fell into the pose gracefully, glancing back to check on Iroh. He wasn't nearly as skilled as Kurina, but he managed.

"Do you need a drum, Lady Kurina? I used to play before I joined the army."

Kurina looked up to see the cook and captain watching them. "Sure."

The cook ran off to retrieve his drum, the captain following to get his fumiko (my word for the cool horn).

When they returned, she began re-teaching Iroh the steps to the beginner dance. Their laughter occasionally filtered towards a certain threesome a few feet away in the forest.

Katara and Aang wanted to watch. They ignored Sokka as he tried to get them to leave before anything could happen.

For her part, Kurina had more fun in those few hours than she had in the last four years of her life. Ever since Prince Zuko and his company had left, the Court had fallen into more and more darkness. Rape had become commonplace. Noblewomen were no longer respected. Drunkenness was advocated. A single wrong word could get you hung, or worse- burned to death. To be killed by one's own element was a type of betrayal that stung more than anything else in the world.

Zuko side-stepped the soldier who had stopped dead in front of him, laughing at a joke Ping had made. His crew didn't observe societal propriety unless in public. He glanced up and froze.

Kurina was dancing to the hauntingly beautiful melody of the captain's fumiko. The drum beat a dark thunder to which her feet moved lightly over the glimmering sand. She had divested herself of the tunic, underneath of which she wore a black breast band. She had also removed her shoes so that the slightly-too-big pants flowed like water over her legs. She moved with lithe grace, whips of fire trailing where her body willed them to go. To use bending in dance was a skill that few possessed.

Zuko was mesmerized. He could feel the rhythm calling to his blood, having trained in dancing himself. That was one of the reasons he stayed away from 'music night'; it brought back memories of a time when the sun was a bright, playful thing instead of the dawn of another dark day.

She created a fireball in the sky to symbolize the sun, telling a story with her movements. The sorrow portrayed in her enticing steps slid over the beach on the salty breeze. A wave of fire appeared around her swaying body, turning her into a living, flickering flame. When she twirled, the flame disappeared and the drums abruptly stopped. The fumiko held one long, smooth note that she bent her back, portraying the dying lover. The tale was one of sweet love and heartbreak. Her rendition had been perfect.

Zuko let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and gazed at his hands where his fingers had made half-moons into his palms. His men began to cheer around him and he looked up and caught her eyes with his. The air between them electrified with lightening and their heartbeats quickened. The moment was gone in an instant and even General Iroh hadn't caught it.

She smiled to the men and gave a small bow. Grabbing the tunic, she put it back on. They gathered around her, congratulating her and asking if she would teach them. She laughed.

Suddenly the captain glanced at the forest and found three shocked faces staring back at him. "The Avatar!"

Zuko whipped around, saw the lemur's tail disappearing into the trees and growled. He turned back around gave Kurina a short bow, excused himself and ran into the forest, his men hot on his heels.

The battle was short, but successful. He managed to capture the water-bender despite her new status as a master. He was one as well and he had more experience with his skills than she did.

He was already formulating a plan to use her as bait when they returned to the beach. The Captain, his Uncle and Kurina were sitting around a large fire, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Iroh had taken it upon himself to inform Kurina of all the things that had happened over the past four years that their small company had been at sea.

Zuko smiled and shook his head. "Hiro? Put the water-bender in the room without windows. Make sure everything is sealed and that she has no liquid whatsoever to bend. If she's thirsty you may give her a _little_ bit. No more. No less. Understood? She will be a valuable asset in capturing the Avatar."

"You'll never capture Aang, you coward! He's much too strong for the likes of you to take on!"

Kurina looked over at the commotion. Her gaze met with Katara's and in an instant they had both gone rigid, their eyes glowing with a pale, ghostly light.

AN: I don't own Avatar. I own Kurina. Cheers, loves.


	3. Chapter 3

**Elemental Dance- 3**

The bonds on Katara's hands broke and she closed her eyes. She and Kurina were surrounded by spheres of ghostly-black fog, rising into the evening air.

A strong breeze swept by, tinted with the scent of jasmine- the Night Queen- the Soul Flower.

Zuko and his men stared in shock. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Avatar's bison flying near his ship. He turned his gaze back to Kurina and Katara. "Avatar!" he shouted.

Aang jumped, looking to Zuko in surprise having forgotten the fire nation prince had been standing there. He leapt onto Appa's neck and took the reins, ready to escape.

"What is happening to them?"

Aang froze. "I don't know."

Kurina's globe suddenly turned red; Katara's blue.

Zuko gasped. Something was calling to him. He didn't know what it was but it was _painful_. His blood was boiling with the need to go… somewhere. Unbeknownst to him, he had risen into the air, his eyes glowing crimson. He was surrounded by a sphere of white fire.

His blood began to thrum with an ancient beat, thundering through his body and into his soul like ripples of water disturbed by a piece of earth. The sound of a pan flute twined around his body like the wind. The harmony of a low fumiko raced through him like a thread of fire tying together the notes of eternity. He was filled with a power unlike any he had ever felt before. He wanted to scream and cry and laugh at the same time.

Then just like that, it was gone.

They fell to the ground, weeping at the loss of the feeling. Their tears were like twinkling stars as they fell on the cool sand.

Iroh gasped, his eyes widening as he came upon a small epiphany.

Zuko was the first to get to his knees.

"Katara? Are you okay?" He heard the Avatar ask. He watched hazily as the Avatar touched her hand.

Immediately Zuko jerked, feeling the power again. Kurina's eyes glowed crimson.

Aang whimpered. Katara screamed, her body glowing a faint blue.

Zuko glanced at Kurina and found her clutching her stomach on her knees.

"Let go of her, Avatar," he whispered. "Stop calling the feminine. You are affecting all of us." He had no idea where those words had come from but he knew they were the right things to say.

Aang remained motionless.

Kurina gasped, falling to the ground in a fetal position.

Katara closed her mouth and curled up on the ground, her hand still clutched in Aang's.

Zuko got to his feet, swaying slightly as the ground tipped. He pushed Aang off of Katara and fell back to his feet.

Immediately the feeling was gone.

He watched the tension drain from Katara. Glancing back, he saw Kurina sit up and smile at the captain weakly.

Suddenly he was angry. "Leave, Avatar. You are not wanted here."

The sixteen-year old air-bender looked into Zuko's eyes and quailed. He grabbed Sokka's arm and called Appa. He reached for Katara but was met with a large fireball. Aang narrowed his eyes and threw a fierce wind at Zuko.

The Fire nation Prince dodged it easily and kicked a streak of flame at Aang. The Avatar took a deep breath and made the flame disappear. Zuko's eyes widened slightly, but he smiled, shooting a series of whip-cord punches at the younger man. Aang didn't have a chance. He had to use his air-bending. He had only mastered water, air and earth, not fire. Fire was too powerful and he hadn't gotten used to the other elements yet.

He called a boulder of earth and threw it at Zuko.  
Zuko cracked it in two with his sword, and swept his feet on the ground. Aang leapt up and grinned. He called a water whip and snaked it around Zuko's feet; however, before he could freeze it, Zuko had evaporated the liquid. Aang smiled. This was the most fun he had had in a long time. He trained with Katara, a water-bending master, but he was always afraid of hurting her. And battles with evil Fire Nation soldiers didn't count.

"Aang, come on! I've got Katara!"

Aang called a huge wind and knocked Zuko's men off of their feet. He leapt onto Appa.

Zuko flipped to his feet and roped a whip of fire around Appa's feet; but, before he could add strength to the fire, the whip broke and the Avatar had thrown a blast of water at him.

"That was for Katara!" he shouted.

He growled, watching the bison fly away into the night sky.

"He shouldn't have taken her."

He jumped at the sound of Kurina's voice. She was standing right next to him, glaring in the direction of the white dot that was the Avatar.

"Are you alright, Prince Zuko?"

He turned to his men and uncle. "I have no idea."

"I do." Iroh smiled gently. "Come onto the ship. The Captain will set a course for the Earth Kingdom while we speak. Lady Kurina, I request your presence as well."

"What just happened, General Iroh?"

"Those who will bring death and beauty into this war have been found."

Zuko and Kurina stared at Iroh as the old general turned around and walked back onto the ship. The soldiers stared at them.

Kurina let out a shaky laugh. "Is your uncle cryptic often?"

Zuko laughed with her. "Only when he feels like it."

"And when is that?"

Zuko offered her his arm as an escort. She bowed and accepted. "If I could answer that, I would."

She laughed again and Zuko found something twitch inside of him. He liked hearing her laugh.

"Great Ratri! What happened?" Katara shot up in her sleeping bag. (AN: Ratri is the Hindu Goddess of the Night.)

"No clue. We're going to Boumi's to figure it out," Sokka shouted back. He was steering Appa so that Aang could get rest. The Avatar had all-but collapsed a few hours after the incident at Zuko's camp.

Sokka glanced back and found Katara going through a few of their packs. The water-tribe warrior had grown into a knock out. He was about 6 foot with a trim, muscled frame which he took care of. His voice had deepened albeit it was still a bit gentler than most men of his era.

He hoped visiting Boumi would help them figure out what had just happened. His instincts were telling him his baby sister was going to get hurt along the way and his instincts had never let him down before. His sense of direction on the other hand...

He looked down, cursed and turned Appa the other way. They would have gone straight into Fire Nation territory if they had kept flying that way.

"Sokka? We have a problem."

He glanced back and cursed. Zuko's ship was following them, Aang was asleep, Appa was tired, and Katara was in no condition to bend.

He suddenly stopped short. His instincts were telling him the Prince didn't want to hurt them. Wonderful. He was going mad.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar, nor shall I ever. This goes for all of my chapters. (in case I forget)


	4. Chapter 4

**Elemental Dance- 4**

_The drums beat through the earth like thunder, strong and steady. The flute sang out with a clear beautiful melody, twining around the stars and the dancers like the velvet wind. The fumiko harmonized with the flute, a low tune that ignited a flame through the inhabitants of the circle, tying together the notes with flickering grace. The sitar clarified the haunting song like droplets of rain falling onto a mirror, giving the dancers an otherworldly beauty that none but they would ever possess…_

_The dancers of air, earth, water and fire_

_Can walk but one path,_

_Through the streams and the woods_

_Towards the Heavens and their wrath_

_Air in Laughter_

_Power in Earth_

_Water in Tears_

_Lust in Flame_

_The gods have deemed it so_

_A circle once defined_

_Shall balance the earth_

_Like yin and yang confined._

_The sitar fell silent, echoing over the surface of the water and through their souls. The fumiko faded away having released its magic on the gathered, and leaving the embers to cast a satisfied glow. The flute wavered and swept away with the breeze, having left a merry feeling in the gathered. The drums slowed until they were but a mere remembrance in the pulse of their masters. The dancers fell into the arms of their mates and slept beneath the stars, having found their recluse, their heaven in hell…_

**Notes:**

A sitar is an Indian guitar-type instrument. It sounds beautiful and, in some pieces, is meant to personify the sound of rain.

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed it and I thank the person who reviewed me. I hope you're catching some of the symbolism I've tried to put in this un-edited story of mine.


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